The body keeps the score of emotional trauma, physcal trauma, and mental trauma where it festers into body toxicity. Which makes us sick. #trauma #ACE #childhood #parenting #Fibromyalgia #selfcare #selfcaresunday #thebodykeepsthescore #effectsoftrauma #healthproblems #anxiety #depression #alcoholism #childabuse #recovery #hepetitis #COPD #depression

The body keeps the score of emotional trauma, physcal trauma, and mental trauma where it festers into body toxicity. Which makes us sick.

Trauma Keeps a Record in Our Bodies

I’d never heard of selective mutism until I read Torey Hayden’s book, One Child: The True Story of a Tormented Six-Year-Old and the Brilliant Teacher Who Reached Out. But for decades I figured Hayden’s experience was an isolated event. After all, no one ever talked about child abuse, incest, or trauma in children. But just because society doesn’t talk about something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Sadly, childhood abuse and trauma have gone on for centuries, and when we don’t experience healing from our trauma, we can pass the effects of it on to our children.

I work at a school where a majority of students have experienced high levels of trauma, and their behavior, test scores, and academic failures reflected their reality. Once I started to understand the reality of our students’ ‘Swiss-cheese education’ (my term for kids who have great gaps in their education, which prevents them from succeeding in school), I knew we had to do something different to help them. Hiring more special education teachers wouldn’t solve the problem. The principal agreed. Now our school has two full-time licensed clinical counselors on staff.

Our students have started to close the academic gap with their peers across the nation. It takes a trauma-informed staff to work as a community to help our students thrive and heal.

I recently read Bessel van der Kolk’s book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, and my study of his book inspired today’s podcast. What do you find the most surprising about childhood trauma?

Show Notes

You can the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) quiz here.

Additional factors in childhood trauma can be found here.

The body keeps the score of emotional trauma, physcal trauma, and mental trauma where it festers into body toxicity. Which makes us sick. #trauma #ACE #childhood #parenting #Fibromyalgia #selfcare #selfcaresunday #thebodykeepsthescore #effectsoftrauma #healthproblems #anxiety #depression #alcoholism #childabuse #recovery #hepetitis #COPD #depression

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23 Comments

  1. The body sure does keep score of emotional trauma. Illness induces anxiety and depression as well. I’ve found that in order to move forward I sometimes need to look back. I just don’t stay stuck anymore because the more I draw closer to Christ each day, he truly has overtaken me. Blessings.
    #2
    PaulaShort recently posted…Chronic Illness And JesusMy Profile

  2. This is all so true, my friend. I am so glad that you are addressing these issues and have helped to get appropriate trauma trained counselors where they are needed most. I am going to check out some of these titles you shared. It is a topic close to my heart, as are all things mental health related!

    Shelbee

  3. I am a child abuse awareness advocate and speak about ACEs frequently. There is a great book and study called “Help for Billy” that has a lot of helpful tips for the classroom. Most are for elementary students but can be adapted for older students, as well.

    Blessings,
    Tammy

  4. I have this book but haven’t got round to reading it. This post makes me want to even more! As a child I experienced physical symptoms that came from trauma so I’m really interested to learn more about it. And I love Torey Hayden’s books!

  5. Anita, it’s heartbreaking to think that children can inherit the effects of trauma from their parents, but I’m guessing many (most?) of us have, to one extent or another. “The Body Keeps the Score” is an eye-opening book, for sure. Another good one that I’m reading now is Michelle Van Loon’s new book called “Translating Your Past:
    Lois Flowers recently posted…Where Does Our Comfort Come From?My Profile

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Anita Ojeda

Anita Ojeda juggles writing with teaching high school English and history. When she's not lurking in odd places looking for rare birds, you can find her camping with her kids, adventuring with her husband or mountain biking with her students.

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